Many manufacturers could benefit from implementing MQL in their operation, but they often do not know where or how to start. Ford Motor Company and Unist, Inc. are pleased to present "Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL): Benefits and lessons learned for production implementation" at the 2018 IMTS Conference. The purpose of this talk is to share the experience and knowledge of what is needed to implement MQL in CNC machines.

The seven wastes are a fundamental part of lean manufacturing. Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) is an environmentally and worker friendly means of reducing these wastes. MQL has been widely adopted in the automotive and aerospace industries with remarkable results. For example, in automotive production it permits moving manufacturing cells closer together which reduces movement and transport waste.

Additional benefits include reduced workforce exposure to mists, smaller cell footprints, reduced cycle times, lower variable costs, and reduced energy and water use. This can result in a 15% lifecycle cost reduction compared to conventional high-volume water based coolant. Furthermore, inappropriate processing waste can be greatly reduced. For example, one plant halved the energy needed to produce diesel engines and cut their water requirement by 99.8%.

Topics include:

MQL Overview: Definition, advantages, and types

Materials & Operations: What does and doesn’t work

What Is Needed: Walk through the system explaining what is needed and what is desirable, from the applicator down through spindle and through the tool

David Stephenson is a Technical Specialist at Ford Motor Company, Livonia MI. Dr. Stephenson has worked for many years on MQL development and implementation at Ford and earlier at General Motors, the University of Michigan, and Fusion Coolant, Inc. He is the author of numerous technical papers on MQL and conventional machining, and is the co-author, which John. S. Agapiou, of Metal Cutting Theory and Practice (3rd Ed, CRC press, 2016), a widely used reference work on the subject.

Ethan Hughey is a Machining Lab Test Engineer at Ford Motor Company, Livonia MI. He oversees the testing of new machining processes and technology prior to implementation in a Ford powertrain facility. Through the recent Ford Corporate Graduate Rotational Program, Ethan gained experience as a Cylinder Head Process Engineer, Assembly Launch Engineer, and Hourly Plant Supervisor.

Tim Walker is a Senior Vice President at UNIST, Inc., a leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly machine lubrication systems. Walker has over twenty five years of experience in jobs ranging from engineering to senior corporate management. Walker wrote The MQL Handbook: A Guide to Machining with Minimum Quantity Lubrication, which was published in 2013. He holds several patents on a variety of technologies, and has written on the theory and practice of MQL in publications such as the STLE’s Tribology & Lubrication Technology, Cutting Tool Engineering, Micromanufacturing magazine, CNC West, and The Fabricator magazine.